To fix or not to fix in Silver Spring?

Who's responsible: Montgomery CountyNumber of votes to fix:8Number of votes to not fix:2

A red turn signal on Bonifant Road is generating a lively discussion among gripers and a first for The Daily Gripe: A fix that some people want, while others say the change would be worse than the problem.

Here's the situation: A number of drivers have complained the red turn arrow on Eastbound Bonifant Rd. to turn south on Notley Rd. serves little function other than forcing commuters to idle needlessly. Why not just allow drivers to turn onto Notley on red?

"Waiting for a green right arrow wastes time and gas and increases pollution, and going straight on Bonifant Rd. to turn right (south) on New Hampshire Ave. wastes time and gas and increases pollution," wrote griper Ann Smid.

Simple solution, right? Not so fast, some gripers and Montgomery County officials said. The right turn arrow was installed to prevent drivers from using Notley as a cut-through to get to New Hampshire Ave., a major thoroughfare, said Esther Bowring, a county spokeswoman said.

"There was a huge amount of through traffic on Notley," Bowring said. "It was so bad that Notley residents couldn't get out of their driveways. The street can't handle that kind of traffic."

So do away with the signal or keep things the way they are? We're going to throw this one out to Gripe readers for more debate. Leave your take in the comments below.